Anna offers some thoughtful and beyond-the-usual ideas for practicing ‘meditation’ with children. Try a few, then let us know how they work for you and yours.
Meditation for Children—2 Simple Exercises
Drawing Meditation
- Sit down with your child in a quiet, comfortable spot
- Allow your child to pick one object in the room to focus on
- With your child, look at the object and describe what you see
- Have your child draw the object as best she/he can
- Together, descriptively compare and contrast the drawing and the object
- If your child seems finished with the exercise, then you are done—if not, continue…
- Now, choose a different place in the room to sit
- Look at the object again from this alternate location
- With your child, look at the object and describe what you see
- Repeat the exercise until you feel your child feels like she/he is finished!
Reporting Meditation
- Toward the end of the day, sit with your child in a quiet, comfortable spot
- Ask your child to go through the day in his/her mind
- Next, have your child narrate the story of his/her day.
- Help your child identify the order of events chronologically
- Repeat back what your child has detailed and allow him/her to clarify, correct, or confirm
- When the conversation feels complete, you are finished!